[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 36744-36746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17624]



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[[Page 36745]]


DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

10 CFR Part 430


Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards: Public 
Workshop to Discuss Test Procedure Issues for Fluorescent and 
Incandescent Lamps

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (the Department) will hold a public 
workshop to discuss certain issues concerning test procedures for 
fluorescent and incandescent lamps. The issues for discussion and 
comment are the impact of measurement tolerances, testing and 
compliance of incandescent lamps at design voltage, voltage range of 
incandescent lamps, and the definitions of basic model and colored 
lamp. All persons are hereby given notice of the opportunity to submit 
written comments concerning these issues, and to attend the public 
workshop.

DATES: The public workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 1995. 
Five copies of any written comments must be received by July 28, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Please label your written comments as ``Comments on the 
Fluorescent and Incandescent Lamp Test Procedures'' and submit them to 
Ms. Sandy Cooper, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 
Mail Station EE-431, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: (202) 586-7574; Telefax: 
(202) 586-4617.
    The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the U.S. Department of 
Energy, Conference and Training Center, 1110 Vermont Avenue, NW., Suite 
500, Room E, Washington, DC. Telephone: (202) 653-6788 or (202) 653-
6789. Telefax: (202) 653-6799.
    Copies of the comments on the Interim Final Rule for fluorescent 
and incandescent lamps are available in the DOE Freedom of Information 
Reading Room, U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-
190, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, (202) 586-6020, 
between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Terry Logee, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-431, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-1689
James Raba, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-431, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-8654
Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General 
Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mail Station GC-72, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Authority

    Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
(EPCA), Pub. L. 94-163, as amended, created the Energy Conservation 
Program for Consumer Products other than Automobiles (Program). The 
products currently subject to this Program include certain fluorescent 
and incandescent lamps, and medium base compact fluorescent lamps among 
others. EPCA sets minimum energy conservation standards for general 
service fluorescent and incandescent reflector lamps, and requires the 
Department of Energy to develop test procedures.

2. Background

    On September 28, 1994, the Department published an interim final 
rule defining ``basic models'' and establishing test procedures for 
general service fluorescent and incandescent lamps, and for medium 
based compact fluorescent lamps. 59 FR 49468. Also on September 28, 
1994, the Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking to 
define colored fluorescent and incandescent lamps, and to define the 
exemption from energy conservation standards for a rough or vibration 
service incandescent reflector lamp. 59 FR 49478. The Department 
received eight comments on the interim final rule and the notice of 
proposed rulemaking, including comments from manufacturers, a national 
trade association, a professional society, a utility, and another 
Federal agency.
    Certain comments included requests that: (1) The Department's test 
procedures be modified to make greater allowances for measurement 
uncertainty and manufacturing variance; (2) the Department permit 
testing and compliance for incandescent lamps at design voltage; (3) 
the Department define the term ``basic model'' as a class of lamps with 
similar lumen output and color rendering index; (4) the Department 
expand the voltage range from 115 through 130 volts in EPACT to 100 
through 150 volts; (5) the Department define colored lamps as the ratio 
of two collinear distances on the chromaticity diagram or define 
colored lamps according to application specific requirements; and, (6) 
the Department define an exemption for the bulged reflector (BR) bulb 
shape incandescent reflector lamp. With respect to these points, the 
Department has determined that it should gather additional information 
and data, and further discussion should occur, before a final rule is 
issued.

3. Discussion

    The purpose of the workshop is to gather information and data that 
will assist the Department in addressing the six aforementioned 
requests.
    The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), speaking 
for lamp manufacturers, claims that there are several sources of lamp 
testing variability. Reference lamp calibration errors and test 
procedure errors within and among laboratories cause measurement 
uncertainties. Manufacturing process and materials variations also 
contribute to testing variability. NEMA believes that these errors 
cannot be accounted for by sample size and confidence limits alone. 
NEMA recommends that a cumulative tolerance factor be used to determine 
compliance with the standard and it cites a tolerance factor of 
2.95% for general service fluorescent lamps. NEMA further 
recommends that the Department collaborate with industry, the National 
Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) and the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to specify the applicable 
tolerance factors.
    All parties should note that section 325(i)(1)(A) of the EPCA 
states that general service fluorescent lamps and incandescent 
reflector lamps ``shall meet or exceed * * * lamp efficacy and CRI 
[color rendering index] standards.'' Thus, the statute may prevent the 
Department from applying a negative tolerance factor to lamps. 
Participants at the workshop should be prepared to discuss whether the 
existing statistical sampling plan and confidence level approach or 
some other approach can provide adequate recognition of the 
manufacturing variances and measurement uncertainties in lamp testing 
and, if so, how. The Department would like to ascertain the magnitude 
of the measurement uncertainty in lamp testing and the magnitude of the 


[[Page 36746]]
variability in lamp manufacturing. Those values would help the 
Department evaluate current and proposed approaches to account for 
measurement uncertainty.
    NEMA, speaking for manufacturers, claims that if the Department 
requires all incandescent lamps to be tested or measured for compliance 
at 120 volts regardless of rated voltage, that would render obsolete 
lamps designed for operation at other than 120 volts. This is because 
lamps that are designed for operation at voltages greater than 120 
volts may not meet the minimum efficacy standard when tested at 120 
volts; lamps that are tested at 120 volts and found to comply with the 
energy efficiency standards will have a shorter life when operated in 
regions where line voltages are greater than 120 volts. According to 
NEMA, for those regions, an inevitable consequence of a rule requiring 
compliance testing at 120 volts would be the virtual elimination of 
existing lamp products designed for use where line voltages are greater 
than 120 volts. NEMA also contends that ``when EPACT was enacted, 
Congress and the lamp industry understood that compliance with energy 
efficacy standards would be determined at an incandescent reflector 
lamp's design voltage.''
    The statute does not directly address whether testing and 
compliance of incandescent lamps must be fixed at one voltage or must 
be at the rated voltage. But section 324(a)(2)(C)(i) of the EPCA states 
that labeling ``shall be based on performance when operated at 120 
volts input, regardless of the rated lamp voltage.'' Consistent with 
this language, it is at least arguable that testing and compliance of 
all incandescent lamps must also be at 120 volts. If the statute is 
read as not containing such a requirement, however, the following are 
possible alternatives to determining compliance of all lamps at 120 
volts: (1) Incandescent lamps should be tested and comply at the rated 
voltage, i.e., the voltage of intended use; (2) establish several 
voltage classes with testing and compliance at a specific voltage in 
each class; or (3) in addition to 1 or 2, take steps (such as labeling 
requirements, for example) to assure that lamps are sold only for use 
at their rated voltage. The Department is seeking discussion of (1) Its 
authority to permit or require testing at voltages other than 120 
volts, (2) the foregoing three alternatives, and (3) any other 
alternatives which relate to the issue of the voltage level(s) at which 
incandescent lamps should be tested and measured for compliance.
    A NEMA comment requests that the Department treat a family of 
fluorescent lamps of different colors but with the same wattage and 
light output as a basic model. Some lamp manufacturers also claimed 
that it was unclear whether a basic model of lamp is an individual lamp 
type or a family of lamps with similar lumen output and other 
characteristics. This issue is critical to manufacturers because they 
want to assure themselves that they will not test more lamps than are 
necessary. The Department's interim final test procedures for lamps 
require testing of each ``basic model,'' and in essence define basic 
model for lamps as consisting of ``a given type'' or ``class'' of lamps 
that have ``photometric and electrical characteristics, including 
lumens per watt and Color Rendering Index (CRI), which are essentially 
identical. The Department seeks discussion on whether manufacturers 
believe an alternative definition is appropriate, and, if so, why and 
what alternatives they would propose.
    NEMA suggested in its comments that the statutory limitation to a 
``voltage range at least partially within 115 to 130 volts, could 
unintentionally create a potential for evading the standard for 
incandescent lamps.'' Commenters suggested that there may be some 
manufacturers who are preparing to build 114V lamps, and that the 
Department should clarify or expand what is included in the voltage 
range. To the extent that the ``voltage range'' of a product such as a 
114 volt lamp ``lies at least partially within 115 and 130 volts,'' 
section 321(30)(C)(ii) of EPCA, the statue clearly covers that product. 
Standards and test procedures, therefore, would clearly apply to the 
product. Possible alternatives, however, are (1) To declare that a lamp 
is covered if its intended use is in the 115-130V range or (2) to 
expand the voltage range from 100 to 150 volts. Workshop participants 
should be prepared to discuss the need and means for further addressing 
this issue.
    The definition of colored lamp in the proposed rule on lamp 
definitions provides two alternatives, (1) A CRI value less than 30 for 
fluorescent lamps or CRI values below 50 for incandescent lamps, or (2) 
a lamp color correlated temperature either below 2,500  deg.K or above 
7,000  deg.K. Other possible alternatives suggested in the comments are 
to: (3) use excitation purity which is defined as the ratio of two 
collinear distances on the chromaticity diagram, (4) raise the CRI for 
fluorescent lamps to 40, or (5) base the exemption for colored lamp on 
the lamp application. The Department is seeking information and data on 
the workability and practicality of these alternatives.

4. Public Meeting Procedure

    The meeting will be informal but, will be transcribed by a court 
reporter. Participants will receive a copy of the Federal Register 
notice of the Interim Final Rule at the meeting. 59 FR 49468. Copies of 
the Interim Final Rule, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on 
definitions, and this notice are available in the DOE public reading 
room. A copy of the meeting transcript will be available in the DOE 
public reading room approximately 10 days after the workshop.

    Issued in Washington, DC July 11, 1995.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 95-17624 Filed 7-17-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P